The Best Linux Distros for 2017

The new year is upon us, and it’s time to look toward what the next 365 days have in store. As we are wont to do, Linux.com looks at what might well be the best Linux distributions to be found from the ever-expanding crop of possibilities.

Of course, we cannot just create a list of operating systems and say “these are the best,” not when so often Linux can be very task-oriented. To that end, I’m going to list which distros will rise to the top of their respective heaps...according to task.

With that said, let’s get to the list!

Best distro for sysadmins : Parrot Linux

Administrators are tasked with so much on a daily basis. Without a solid toolkit, that job becomes incredibly challenging. For that, there are a host of Linux distributions ready to serve. I believe the one distribution that will find a significant rise in popularity for the coming year will be Parrot Linux. This particular distribution is based on Debian and offers nearly every penetration testing tool you could possibly want. You will also find tools for cryptography, cloud, anonymity, digital forensics, programming, and even productivity. All of these tools (and there are many) are coupled with an already rock-solid foundation to create a Linux distribution perfect for the security and network administrator

Parrot currently stands at #57 on Distrowatch, and I expect to see a significant leap on that list by the end of the year.

Best lightweight distribution: LXLE

Without a doubt, I believe LXLE will become the lightweight distribution of choice in 2017. Why? Simple. LXLE manages to combine a perfect blend of small footprint with large productivity. In other words, this is a small-sized distribution that won’t stop you from getting your work done. You’ll find all the tools you need in a desktop Linux release that will feel right at home on older hardware (as well as newer machines). LXLE is based on Ubuntu 16.04 (so it will enjoy long-term support) and makes use of the LXDE window manager, which brings with it an instant familiarity.

LXLE ships with many of the standard tools (such as LibreOffice and GIMP). The only caveat is the need to install a more modern (and up-to-date browser).

Currently LXLE stands at #16 on Distrowatch. I look for this to break the top 10 by mid 2017. You can read more about LXLE in this article.

Best desktop distribution: Elementary OS

I may be biased, but I’m certain that Elementary OS Loki will do the impossible and usurp Linux Mint from the coveted “best desktop distribution” for 2017. That will be a fairly impressive feat, considering that Linux Mint consistently clobbers the competition on Distrowatch. Currently, Elementary OS stands at #6 (where Linux Mint continues its reign at the number one spot). How is it possible that Elementary OS could de-throne Mint? Loki has not only proved itself to be one of the more beautiful Linux distributions, it is also rock solid and offers an unmatched user-friendliness and consistency across the desktop.

Some might find the Elementary OS desktop to be too “Mac-like.” However, that metaphor has proved incredibly effective with end users and, of course, the Elementary take on the design isn’t nearly as limiting as is the OS X desktop...so feel free to tweak it to your liking.

I’ve covered Elementary OS Loki previously, so you can read more in this article.

Best distribution for those with something to prove: Gentoo

This is a category specific to those who want to show their prowess with the Linux operating system. This is for those who know Linux better than most and want a distribution built specificly to their needs. When this flavor of Linux is desired, there is only one release that comes to mind...Gentoo.

Gentoo is a source-based Linux distribution that starts out as a live instance and requires you to then build everything you need from source. This not only requires a higher level of Linux understanding but also demands more time and patience. In the end, however, you will be rewarded with exactly the distribution you want and nothing more. Gentoo is not new, it’s been around for quite some time; but if you want to prove your Linux skills, it helps to start with Gentoo.

Now we’re talking really, really small form factor. The Internet of Things category is where embedded Linux truly shines, and there are a number of distributions ready to take on the task. I believe 2017 will be the year of Snappy Ubuntu Core. Ubuntu Snaps have already made it incredibly easy to install packages without worrying about dependencies and breakage due to upgrades. By leveraging this system, Snappy Core makes for a perfect platform for IoT. Ubuntu Snappy Core can already be found in the likes of various hacker boards (such as the Raspberry Pi) as well as Erle-Copter drones, Dell Edge Gateways, Nextcloud Box, and LimeSDR.

Best non-enterprise server distribution: CentOS

It should come as no surprise here that CentOS remains the Linux darling of the server room for small- and medium-sized businesses. There’s a very good reason CentOS continues to stand at the top of this hill—it’s derived from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) sources. Because of this, you know you are getting as reliable a server platform as you can find. The major difference between Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS (besides the branding) is support. With RHEL, you benefit from official Red Hat support. On the contrary, since 2004, CentOS has enjoyed a massive community-driven support system. So, if your small- or medium-sized business is looking to migrate a data center to an open source platform, your first stop is CentOS.

Best enterprise server distribution: RHEL

Once again, there is no surprise here. SUSE is doing a remarkable job of climbing the enterprise ladder and one of these days they will usurp the reigning king of enterprise Linux from the throne. Unfortunately, 2017 will not be that year. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) will continue to top the most wanted list for enterprise businesses. According to Gartner, Red Hat has a 67 percent market share within the realm of Linux (with RHEL subscriptions driving about 75 percent of Red Hat’s revenue). The reasons for this are many. Not only is Red Hat perfectly in tune with what enterprise business needs, they also are major contributors to nearly every software stack within the open source community.

Red Hat knows Linux, and they know enterprise. Red Hat is trusted by numerous Fortune 500 companies (such as ING, Sprint, Bayer Business Services, Atos, Amadeus, and Etrade) and RHEL has managed to push many envelopes far and wide in areas of security, integration, cloud, and management. I also look for Red Hat to focus a good amount of energy on IoT in the coming year. Even still, don’t be surprised if, by the end of 2017, SUSE further chips away at the current Red Hat market share.

The choice is yours

One of the greatest aspects of the Linux platform is that, in the end, the choice is yours. There are hundreds of distributions to choose from, many of which will perfectly meet your needs. However, if you want to give what I believe will be the best in 2017, take one of the above distributions for a spin; I’m certain you won’t be disappointed. Next time, I'll look at which distros are best designed for new users.

Comments

I utilized rudimentary and it need precisely that bug free I had glitches and arbitrary stops its still on the LTS branch so bundles are exceptionally old likewise pantheon still does not have a considerable measure highlights like the capacity to modify status bar applets

as I would like to think that title (best work area distro) pass on have a place with manjaro extraordinary gatherings awesome help and simple to introduce and utilize, on the off chance that you cannot discover a bundle you have AUR, bundle refreshes are more steady than curve for the most part (each bundle needs to go toss two branches before arriving in stable for everybody which takes not as much as seven days generally)

Been using elementary OS since the release of Luna and it has been my favorite operative system from that moment onwards. Sure I've noticed a few hiccups here and there regarding some applications, but my personal experience has always been pleasant.

The AppCenter has been a success in the form of setting a place for developers to create applications made to work for elementary OS while giving them a fair way to monetize.

I used elementary and it want exactly that bug free I had glitches and random freezes and its still on the LTS branch so packages are very very old also pantheon still lacks a lot features like the ability to customize status bar applets

in my opinion that title (best desktop distro) hands down belong to manjaro great forums great support and very easy to install and use, if you cant find a package you have AUR, package updates are more stable than arch generally (each package has to go throw two branches before landing in stable for everyone which takes less than a week usually)

Wow! this list of best Linux distros is great and useful for all type of users including newbie and advanced users. I agree with all the categories except best Linux for the desktop version. Though elementary OS is based on Ubuntu but still for desktop Ubuntu is the best.

I would dissagree on the Best Distro for Desktop choice, I used ElementaryOS for a while and I had nothing but issues with their custom desktop environment, it was really really buggy, sometimes at startup the widgets wouldn't come up and I had to manually restart the desktop environment several times before it worked properly. I would say the best choices for Desktop linux are Ubuntu (any flavor) or Linux Mint (I like cinnamon and, if you need stability, debian edition)

Like wine, having a quality selection is fine indeed!

I've been a connoisseur of Linux Distros (LD's) for just a few years now, and just like every other automaton of blind enculturation amassing Earth, I have had (and have endured) every Windows OS (from 3x to 10x) and a few Apples to boot. Not anymore: I have gone full-on open source (well, as much as that is possible I guess).

I got an Intel NUC PC, which came without an OS; it has never had any OS burned into it, except LD's (Mint family mostly): Thus, I have zero issues with it. However, those who have had a PC/laptop with a Mac or MS OS, previously or currently baked into it; they're the only one's who seem to be reporting issues with Linux OS.

But if learning itself is fun for you, then this is an awesome way to keep the brain fresh; your knowledge-base updated; and have some fun with it (I do). Computers are tools, yes, but they are not hammers! There is far more to do with them, and to gain from them, than just running programs for work.

And if that's all you do with them, I'd recommend the OS on the PC at your work that the company has invested in compatible software for (i.e. MS). But learning new programs is fun, and the Linux-based mass of programs to chose from, are no worse to learn, than any other OS brand. It's the dreaded learning curve for the older folks (myself excluded) that seem to struggle with such rapid changes.

Linux runs the computational world itself; almost all servers globally, run Linux OS, and servers account for the vast majority of global computation activity. The consumer-end OS market is small by comparison: Even so, it is what us average Joe's must/will interact with. And since tablets/phones are very limited (app-centric) devices, a PC/laptop is necessary (I've got all 4).

Enter the Linux Distro: Having a wide variety to select from is awesome; I am ever thankful to all the people -- many who work for free globally -- to bring to humanity, all these flavorful (and some not so much) Distros. I will enjoy one for several months or so, then read about a new or interesting one (like Elementary recently), and I will switch to it for a while.

It is nice to switch my OS as I please. It is great, not to have to deal with all the drama associated with Windows & MS. I read all the news horrors, and just smile and think: Not my problem! In fact, I came here while online window-shopping (pun not untended) for a new Distro to sample. Thanks for your valued opinions, I can't wait for a sip.

This post is about which distro is best but forgive me for going a little out of topic here.

I am a techie who have been using both Windows and Linux for work related stuffs, but mostly Windows due to the application dependencies on Windows and a bit of Linux, system admin related for application running on RHEL. At home I have both, on laptops. I enjoyed using Ubuntu and then moved to Fedora 25 with KDE about a few months ago. I also installed Ubuntu and then Elementary OS on one of my family member's laptop for general document editing and web surfing. But from the moment the user started asking for the programs he used to use on Windows, it has been a pain. We have also installed Wine for some Windows programs, but it is a workaround. There are either no third party applications of the same calibre or if there are similar ones, installation is not so easy for regular users.

What I personally feel (and this is just my personal opinion), is that instead of too many distros, I wish there were fewer distros, but those which "just works" and easy to use even for common users in mind.

Now, my general opinion is that Linux is great but it is still not yet the go-to desktop environment for "common users". May be that's why people still pay for Windows of Mac OS even when Linux is still FREE. Most basic things work, but the moment a user starts wanting more, problem starts. At some point or the other, something does not work out of the box, and a lot of time is spent searching / trying to find solutions and configuring to make things work. For tech-savvies, it may not be that much of a trouble, but a desktop environment should be easy for the "comman users" as well. It's not that Mac or Windows is perfect, but common users find it easier to do things on Mac or Windows.

I am sorry to say this but it seems that you know very little about Linux and the variety. There are indeed many out of the box great distros that work flawlessly. There are also abundance of applications that are equal in quality to Windows or better. There are several solutions against one Windows solution. There are almost none virus threats and we all know how that is on Windows. On top of it all Linux is free and so is 35000+ applications... It might be a good idea to skip a comment where you are not really versed about some subject enough to comment. Someone totally new to Linux might think that you actually know what you are talking about and take your opinion as true.

You can try to justify all you want buddy and keep trying and you keep failing.

I dislike Windows, personally, Linux/Unix is not mainstream for me and millions others. When *any* distro will natively support Adobe Cloud, millions will flock to that distro. You will not have that, because Adobe are in bed with M$ and Apple.

No, it will not work with Wine, nor PlayonUnix and no, I don't want Adobe Suite CS5, I want to run the latest and greatest like it works on Mac and Windows because LR has camera/lens specific items that get updated with newer versions.

No I will not use 2nd best software out there for something that I already pay monthly for. Take a little time and Google some common issues out there, yes I could probably live without Office using Libre or OpenOffice but giving up my Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat DC/Pro, or Premiere/Aft.E.

I will wait and see that day.. especially with all this b.s. stuff in crypto-ware & security issues in Windows and even *nix.

So bottom line is, *nix might be best for you but not best for many others no matter how much you like it or you think is great at certain things.

It's open source. More distros aren't necessarily competing with eachother in the traditional sense. They are attempting to solve various problems of computing in different ways. The open source nature and less reliance on profit allow them to experiment in some distros, which could lead to some frustration for sure when you're using them without knowing. When something does work, the other distros generally adopt it or if it fails they can go back, noting: system.d adoption and the end of Unity, respectively.

And that's exactly why you should continue using Windows. You have a personal preference and like most, do not feel or want to learn something new (no disrespect intended). Personally, I enjoy using Libre Office more than I enjoy using MS Office. I enjoy using gimp more than I enjoy using any other image manipulator on windows. I enjoy using Flash FTP clients better than I enjoy using gFTP clients, but I did not mind sacrificing Flash FTP for gimp or Vectr. I've been using Gentoo Linux for about 10 years now without any regrets, because I LIKE learning, and I love being in control of how my system is configured. I do not like MS's big brother crap, I do not like MS's vulnerabilities, I do not like MS's configurability or lack there of, and I do not like having to install a bunch of resource sucking software to make my system just a tad bit more secure. Linux will probably NEVER be a "mainstream" OS, but who cares? I haven't run into an MS program that I can't solve in Gentoo (gimp, Libre Office, Vectr, etc.) with no out of pocket expense. My hardware is FAST, like lightning fast (I use Fluxbox as my Window Manager) and runs smooth as silk. I haven't upgraded my hardware for years without any stability issues, and I hate to break it to you, but Linux is the most advanced OS in the world. If you truly need the latest and greatest, you'll have to switch to Linux friend. I'm not judging your choice or personal preference of Windows, if you're happy and it works for you so be it. Linux will never be mainstream, and I really don't give a sh*t!

I LOVE how Elementary feels and works. It's fast, simple, beautiful. However I am currently using Linux Mint again as it happens to be the most solid for myself. I only do mails and browsing. For mails, holy shit Elementary's new client based on Geary is AMAZING. Lightweight and fast, notifies you when new mail arrives really fast and also (which is a persoanl pet-peeve) sends a message to the server that you read the mail, so it will be read everywhere else.

The problem I had recently (past days) when installing Elementary again, was that browsers would hang a bit when watching streams on Twitch, and videos on YouTube would have a lot of tearing and the 60fps framerate was stuttery. I happened to be using the latest drivers with everything updated, however that didn't solve the issue. And since I'm going to use Linux for that, it didn't work for me. Also it had some other bugs like screen stretching or the "show all windows" hot corner which were funny tbh but not comfortable.

I'll be trying it out again this year when the new version gets released. For now I'll stick with Linux Mint that works wonderfully.

Well, I can't see one very good distro, called Qubes OS - the one that separates your work/personal/guest actions into separate vm's and keep separate filesystems for each. Very good for the business! Especially in BYOD days.

I've tried elementary OS recently. Surely it's elegant, but I found it buggy, once with broken wing panel, and several times didn't response while I'm trying to type. And there is the deal breaker: I couldn't change the input method to another language. The first thing a non-English speaking user getting into a new OS would care is the input method, and elementary OS fails on it. I had hope in this distro, but I guess I will wait until it's more stable.

Considering how many distros are Debian derivatives, Debian is sort of omnipresent. True, vanilla Debian is still the best choice, as it is one of the world's largest open source project. It can be customized with all the bells and whistles if one chooses. It is always better starting out with the bare minimum to avoid bloat.

I really want to use plain Debian but it is most difficult distro that I have tried to use so far. Debian may be great but it is not for those of us with limited abilities. It is also the hardest to install and took me about four hours. I have spent 2 days trying to update flash player so my wife can play her game on Facebook. Even Debian itself can't do it. If you run the commands given in the Debian Wiki you will get an eror code. It has been reported to Debian for months and still not fixed. For those of you that are linux experts it may be ok. If Debian was the only distro available for linux hardy anybody would use it. I will keep trying just because many of you talk about how great it is but I am not seeing it.

Hey man, Don't feel bad. We all did the same thing trying to figure out Flash.

Believe it or not, Flash is no longer supported on linux devices, and adobe will not be releasing any new versions for linux. All of the Flash packages that you download with ANY linux distro will not work right anymore. Everything is moving to HTML5. Google Chrome comes with integrated flash support regardless if it's on your device or not. you can download the .deb packages from google directly.

HOWEVER!!! That being said, you can get flash working very easily in linux for mozilla etc... Here's how:

First make sure you either have root priviledges, otherwise use the "sudo" command before each of the following commands in Terminal.

Now locate the files you just extracted in your current directory and find the one called either "flash.so or flashplayer.so or libflashplayer.so (which ever one it is you have as there will only be one or the other)

Copy the ".so" file

navigate to your home folder in either terminal or the file explorer of your choice.

locate the hidden folder called ./mozilla and enter that directory.

Now go into the directory called "plugins" (if you do not have it, create it)

Paste the file named either "flash.so" or "flashplayer.so" or "libflashplayer.so" into the plugins directory.

THAT'S IT!!!!! restart firefox or iceweasel (which ever one you have) and it should work. you can now delete the flash files you downloaded from adobe, but keep the ".so" file in the "plugins" folder in ./mozilla

It can go open source all it wants, Flash will be gone by 2020, it was reported recently, and I mean, it will officially not work at all in "all browsers" including Windows platform. Even Adobe is behind this statement. It's ridden with bugs and security flaws, now with HTML5+ you can do everything can.

Solus is pretty great. It is not based on any other distribution. It is both rolling release and stable. They boast one of the best performing Linux distributions for gaming. It is very fast in general. It boots extremely fast. The support both the proprietary Nvidia drivers and a better performing version of the open source AMD drivers. The package manager is binary based instead of source based. The packages offered are typically the newest stable versions of the programs, which is very important for me. They don't try to have as many programs as possible, you have to have a real need to use a program before they will add it, but you can request they add any package they are missing and they are very responsive. Their IRC support channel is extremely responsive, often I get a response from the lead developer. For a desktop environment, they made their own called Budgie, but it also supports MATE. Budgie feels modern, classy, fast, and practical. Many of the most interacted with settings and actiuons are right at your fingertips. It does not have as many configuration options as I would like, but there is something about the feel of it I can't quite put into words that makes me want to keep using it.

Solus is a great distro. Very easy to install. I had it up and running in twenty minutes. Most things work out of the box. Only trouble I am having is with wine and crossover but that is probably something I am doing wrong.

Hi, I just read about this distro with you guys. Would you say it's lightweight and stable for mails and browsing? (using Chrome watching streams, YouTube and Netflix) And maybe some office works when needed. Is LibreOffice available for it?

As a basic low-knowledge user, would you recommend this distro for those basic tasks? What problems would I ran into? Thanks! :D

Edit: OH! Spotify installation is a must for me too haha :P - Does that work? Thanks again!

But to mention elementaryOS? I'm not sure if you're trolling or what's going on. It's awful. Looks alright to start with, but then when it's all settled down Pantheon gets in the way, or sometimes decides to crash. It gets in the way of doing any meaningful work in my opinion. And I should know, I've been trying to use it daily for 6 months.

In the end I'm sticking with Debian 8, because I don't care much for eye candy I just want stability. Sure, I could install KDE if I wanted to, and I may still do. But fancy looking interfaces doesn't get the job done and the bills paid.

Elementary OS is a POS. If that's what "Mac like" looks like I'm glad I never overpaid for a MAC! For the first time EVER I PAID to try out a Linux distro. I've tried most of them and keep coming back to Linux Mint (Mate) THAT's the best.

First of all, as a long-time Mac and PC owner, Windows is waaaaaaaaaaaay more annoying than Mac OS, constantly interrupting whatever I'm trying to focus on, involuntarily minimizing my games in the middle of playing them, etc. None of this crap has ever existed on Mac OS. So can you keep the needless mindless Mac OS bashing to yourself, please? You're just contributing to more Windows hegemony, which is noncompetitive (which is exactly why Windows has become stale AF).

Second of all, no, ElementaryOS is not quite "the Mac experience" at all. It seems to just be a focus on ease-of-use which just so happens to coincide with Mac OS goals.

I use CentOS for server work and Mint 18 for desktop use. I like both. I have been able to configure the UI's to be very similar, hence not too much brain switching when going from one to the other. They are separate systems with separate displays. I have used Gentoo in the past. It took a couple of weeks of evenings to get it sorted out, but once I did I had the precise system I wanted.

I worked at Nokia Mobile Phones for over 2 years and helped monitor and manage a server farm of over 6000 systems running their phone proxy browsers (Mozilla-based). They started with RHEL, but migrated to CentOS completely once their systems engineers were up to speed on RHEL. I was responsible for performance engineering, designing and developing the tools to collect 10 billion (that's a 'b') data points per day in real time to an AWS Hadoop cluster. When things would start to "go South" in some of our clusters we could pinpoint the problem in minutes whether it was a server, network switch, router, F5 load distributor, or what (ISP anyone?). Seems someone cut one of the fiberoptic cables to one of our data centers in Britain. Knowing that within about 2 minutes, we could re-route the traffic to an unaffected data center somewhere else until the repairs were made.

Hi Chris, Swapnil Bhartiya did a "Best of 2016" for us last year, though Jack has done them in the past. It's hard to get an objective view of the best distros in many of the categories we use, such as "best looking distro." Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. :)

Distrowatch has a good, ongoing ranking of distros according to downloads. But as we know, this isn't necessarily the best way to choose a distro, either. In the end, one has to weigh many factors -- popularity, features, etc. -- and just try some out to see what works best for you. Jack has been writing distro reviews for us and several other publications for years and has probably tried (dare I guess) thousands of distro variations. His opinion can be a good guide, alongside other factors and metrics.